Joby GorillaTorch Blade Review

When you think Joby you think tripod, right? Not any more. The Joby Gorilla Torch Blade is the result of intelligent product design and form meets function.

Up until this point, in fact up until I actually received the GorillaTorch Blade in the mail, I was a skeptic. I’ve laid my hands on the first GorillaTorch and didn’t think too much of it. The body is flimsy and to much my shock it has a tendency to turn itself on – no joke.

The Blade on the other hand is solid all around. It’s body can best be described as a chunk of solid metal (aircraft-grade aluminum) – that’s a good thing. And of course there is Joby’s patented bendy legs with magnetic feet, which means it works just about any where you need to stick it. It’s rated IPX-5 water resistant and uses a an ultra-bright CREE XLamp XP-C LED bulb.

The battery, which lasts about 2.5 hours on full power (130 lumens), is completely rechargeable. A mini-USB port is hidden behind the rubber switch, which flips opens to reveal the port and they’ve include a wall wart with a USB plug, so if need be you could charge this thing via your computer’s USB port. Charging is indicated by a blue LED inside the lens that remains lit until charging is complete.

If you don’t want the bulk or hassle of the bendy legs, the body easily slides off the tripod and becomes a standalone flashlight that fits in the palm of your hand.

But don’t let the Blade’s diminutive size fool you. It can produce up to 130 lumens. By default, when you turn the tactical flashlight on, it shines 65 lumens. This is sufficient for most scenarios, but if you require an extra burst of power, 65 more lumens, you can hold the power button down. Hold it down for 3 seconds or more and it will activate the power boost for up to 3 minutes. Why you can’t just cycle permanently to the high power setting is a bit annoying if the job at hand calls for more minutes than it allows.

Much like a Maglit, you can switch from spotlight mode to flood. You just need to rotate the head of the Blade. Our review unit was a bit stiff, so our initial rotation required some extra elbow grease, but the point being is that you won’t break it.

The head of the tripod can rotate 360 degrees and pan 180 degrees, which lends itself to the GorillaTorch Blade’s flexibility (double entrende).

So lets review: flexibility? Check. Practicality? Check. Form meets function? Check. Solid build? Check. Reasonable price ($60)? Check. Although it may sound like I’m “towing the company line”, the GorillaTorch Blade truly is a tacticianer’s delight.

Christen Costa

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets."